The Norton Simon Museum has secured a rare loan from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. From November 5, 2010, to January 24, 2011, the Pasadena, California, museum will host Raphael’s exquisite The Small Cowper Madonna, c. 1505.

This Madonna and Child painting, on loan for the first  time, is part of an exchange program between the National Gallery of Art and the Norton Simon foundations, which also brought Vermeer’s A Lady Writing to the Simon in the fall of 2008, helping increase attendance by 39%, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The Frick Collection in New York City is also part of the exchange program.

The Small Cowper Madonna is one of five works by Raphael in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, and one of twelve in the U.S. Painted during the artist's stay in Florence (1504-08), when he began to shape his mature style, this work marks his movement toward a freer and more emotive handling of paint.

The Small Cowper Madonna will be installed next to the Norton Simon Art Foundation’s own Raphael painting, Madonna and Child with Book, c. 1502–03, in the Museum’s Renaissance
gallery.

“The Norton Simon Museum has the distinction of being home to the only painting by Raphael in the western United States,” noted Norton Simon Museum President Walter W. Timoshuk. “For our second loan from the National Gallery of Art, it seemed fitting to choose The Small Cowper Madonna, thus giving our visitors the rare chance to view two extraordinary paintings by the artist side by side.”

Earl A. Powell III, Director, National Gallery of Art, remarked, “It is our hope that art lovers on the west coast will enjoy the painting’s masterful composition and serene beauty.”

A host of lectures and events will revolve around the painting during its three-month stay, which coincides with Pasadena's increase in visitors for the Christmas season and the Rose Bowl.